NonShrinking Violets

Sunday, November 11, 2012

When I started gearing up for launching my etsy store (located here) I realized that I wanted to brand my business website, blog and etsy store in one location with a unified (more or less) name (still dreaming of a physical store afterall). While I can be the most intermittent blogger (possibly ever) I do plan to maintain a blog as a format for sharing current client projects, DIY (attempted anyway) projects, and general home decor and design ramblings.The site is still very much a work in progress (so please bear with me) but it can be found here:

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

This post is all about living in the real world. I'm so not crafty. Or handy. But I've mentioned that before. I still try and sometimes the results are adequate, sometimes the results are utter crap. Like this project.

I picked up the wood circles at a random Ben Franklin I stopped in a few months ago (didn't realize they were even still around) with a coaster project in mind (gee, thanks pinterest). I made copies of some of the more interesting/pretty passport stamps and visas in our passports onto vellum. I was operating under the idea that I could Modge Podge the vellum to the wood the same way others have been doing with other papers to ceramic tiles.

Then I decided I didn't want the exposed wood on the sides/back of the coasters and that the vellum might look better on top of a wash of color. So I used the Martha Stewart gold from Home Depot (decided not to use it on a previous project but had already opened it), I added some water, brushed it on and wiped it off.

I liked the end result, but would water it down more if I did it again for less overall color.

Then I cut out the portions of the stamps I wanted to use on the coasters using the circles as a template.

(Yes, I did all this with a towel spread over my lap while sitting on the sofa watching TV.)

I applied the vellum with the Modge Podge and even though I thought I had it wrinkle free as it dried that was so not the case. I tried smoothing the vellum down as it was drying but that just ended up blurring the images, maybe because it was vellum and not paper? I added a top layer of Modge Podge as well hoping I could still salvage them but no luck.

The top left (visa for extended stay in Belgium) turned out the best, the two on the right side (entry/exit stamps for Russia with the Statue of Liberty in the background and entry/exit stamps along with Visas for Jordan) are just too blurry and wrinkled.

The three that I did with single cutouts from my photocopies had the most potential. The one I tried to use more two separate pieces of vellum on wouldn't lay flat for anything.

If I were to try it again I would do an actual image transfer onto the wood instead of using the vellum.

So there you have it. Not a terrible way to spend an hour, I can laugh at myself and the end result. I learned something from it (I think) but it was definitely a miss instead of a hit. I can't be the only one with projects that totally fail?? At least I hope not......

Monday, July 23, 2012

I have a black door, I have almost the exact same lanterns in the same place, I tracked down the urns at the end of fall last year and this summer I did something I've never done before in my entire life. Planted flowers.

My Salvia looks sickly all the time and I'm tempted (but too lazy) to just pull it out.

Then I decided a needed a door mat. Let's ignore the fact that the only people to ever come to our front door are the UPS and USPS delivery people (I'm beginning to wonder if Piperlime and Nordstrom will cut me off for abusing the free returns).

After seeing the many tutorials floating around on Pinterest (and because of all the Piperlime boxes) I decided to go the DIY route.

Last weekend I attempted a monogram with a border. It didn't work out quite as I'd hoped. I used the negative space from some random chipboard letters I had laying around and painfully cut out the letters from a sheet of "permanent" adhesive labels I had laying around. Permanent my ass. The painters tape held up well but as soon as I started spraying the small letters of the monogram went flying and I ended up with this:

It's fine but really wasn't doing anything for me, so it's at the back door and today I decided to try again. I bought another $7 coir mat from Home Depot and decided to go in a totally different direction. Union Jack.

I taped out the pattern:

Decided which of the colors I had laying around to use:

Ended up with Rustoleum's Night Tide, and sprayed away:

I actually really like the end result of this one:

Except that it's too small, how did I not realize that before I did all this??? I haven't seen larger plan coir mats anywhere but I guess I'll keep looking or break down and buy a spendy one.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Over dinner last night my husband and I had the following conversation:

Me: "I want to go to Ikea this weekend."
Him: "What could we possibly need at Ikea?"
Me: "A cowhide rug for the living room."
Him: "I'm sorry, I must have misunderstood you, I thought you just said you wanted a divorce."

I laughed harder than I have in forever.

I love our current living room rug but I want less color and pattern. I'm convinced it's going to make the room come together. And I need a pale almost white cowhide rug. May the Ikea gods have favor on me for making the trip and one will actually be in stock.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Friday night I took this photo in the bathroom of a newly opened restaurant in Milwaukee, Odd Duck. I loved the decor for the most part and per the bartender the build-out was all done by the owners of the restaurant along with the staff.

As coincidence would have it, I saw this image on Pinterest on Saturday:

Monday, May 14, 2012

I'm obsessed with all things gold at the moment and I've always liked geodes so of course I repinned this image on Pinterest:

And instantly thought of it when I came across this little cutie at a consignment shop today, it had me hooked with the lucite base:

Major improvement after removing the "Geode" sticker (thanks Captain Obvious) and the gross green felt from the bottom of the lucite base:

I used Goof Off in the little metal can to remove the adhesive:

I read the can AFTER I used it, when my fingers starting feeling weird, and apparently you shouldn't let come in contact with your skin. The warning label reads "WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the state of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm."

Awesome. I wasn't planning to use my reproductive parts but I'd still like to keep the intact. I should really get some decent rubber gloves, and read labels first.

Then I used my new favorite to come in a can product on the outside of the geode after taping off the lucite base and face with painters tape:

The end result:

I'm not positive I love the gold paint now that it's done (and wishing the geode was a teal/turquoise color).

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About Me

Fourteen years of working in commercial construction and renovating houses in my free time has evolved into an obsession with beautiful spaces (especially if they contain anything teal, python, lucite, faux bamboo, leopard print or sparkly light fixtures).